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Thursday, May 22, 2014

Brandon Vaughan came to know Christ on July 4th, 1999. Three
years later, at the age of seventeen, he answered the Lord's call to preach.
Since then, he has been privileged to serve in almost every aspect of the
ministry. It has always been his heart's desire to see the will of God unfold
in his life, and his book, RECONCILED, is simply an unbelievable chapter in
that journey. Brandon is currently the pastor at Little Sandy Baptist
Church in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He and his wife, Leah, have two children, Wesley
and Allison.

Hi, Brother Brandon. So great to have you on the blog. I have to ask, Who first had the idea to write
a book about your story? You? Your birth mom? Your wife?

The Lord really laid it heavy on my heart to write this book. Even from a
young age I have loved reading and writing. I have written a little bit
of everything from short stories, poems, sermons and even some songs.
However, I never sought to publish anything. But I simply had to share my
story with the world.

Describe
what spurred you to find your birth mother. What incident, if any, set your
search in motion?

The one event that made me decide to find my birth mother was the birth of
my son,Wesley. My wife, Leah, couldn't even tolerate the idea of him
spending the night in the nursery so that she could sleep. As I watched
her holding our son, I realized that my birth mother must have been
forced to give me away and that it must have haunted her for all these
years. I felt a burning desire, almost a sense of duty, to find her.

How did you find time to write
your story? Was there anything particular that helped you focus?

I
began writing the book in August of 2012 and I submitted the manuscript
to the publisher on Christmas Eve of that same year. I must admit it
was somewhat of an obsession. I would work all day and come home to
spend 3 or 4 hours a day in attempt to get my story out.

You've spoken to me before about
how no two readers say the same thing when you ask how this story impacted
them. So I'd like to ask you, when you finally saw your book in print, what
were your thoughts?

When
I was able to physically see and that finished copy of the book I was
simply overwhelmed at God's goodness. In a very real sense He is the
author, I was merely the publicist.

One thing that struck me about
your story is how your adoptive family and your biological family
"blended" so graciously. In light of "typical" family
dynamics, I would think that is rare. Could you tell us how you saw God working
in that situation?

Its
amazing to see how well our families blended. We're all just really
laid back people. That, combined with the ingrained importance of family
from both sides. So it really isn't that surprising. From day one it was the
philosophy that we are family and that's all that matters.

Is there anything you didn't
include in the book that you'd like readers to know?

Without a doubt the one area of the book that I wish I could have
expounded on (but couldn't at the time) was the change in my
grandmother's heart. She was painted in the book as mean, and somewhat
hateful, as she forced my mother to give me up for adoption, and at that
time she was. But she got saved later in life and really became close to Mom. This past year she apologized to Mom about the adoption and said
that she didn't give her enough credit. I was at her bedside a month ago
when she passed away. I had the priviledge of preaching to over a
hundred people at her funeral. I preached on "A God of Second Chances".

When you look back on your
journey to finding your birth mother, what's the biggest "wow" moment?

When I look back at the whole situation there is simply no way to decide
on that one "wow" moment. There are simply too many. How could I decide
between seeing my family for the first time on Facebook, that first phone
call, meeting for the first time, seeing my mom saved, writing a book
and getting to relive and relay the story with others? It can't be done.

What's the one question you get
asked the most when people learn of your story?

With out a doubt, the most frequent question I receive from people about
the book is "was your adoptive mom jealous at all about the whole
situation?" The answer is a resounding no. We are extremely secure in
our relationship. She was happy, not only for me, but for my birth mom.
For the past two years they have actually sent each other Mother's Day
cards.

I read your story months ago, and the story still amazes me. How can readers get a copy of
your book?

People
can get my book at Barnes and noble, and just about any online
retailer. Amazon.com has the lowest price. The e-book is also available.

Thanks so much, Natalie, for sharing my book on your blog! Let me know when you're book comes out so I can buy one. God bless.

Thank YOU for visiting with us, Brother Brandon!

About the book:

This inspirational memoir shares the amazing true story of a
young mother who was separated from her son at birth. She never even got to
hold him before he was taken away. Over a quarter of a century goes by without
her even knowing his name. Could Providence cause their paths to cross even
after all these years? See through their individual trials and triumphs how God
truly does have a plan for every life.

I loved this book so much, I'm giving away an e-book copy to one person who comments. Leave your email address in the following spam-free format: email(at)domain(dot)com. To get our comments rolling: Can you imagine telling not just a fiction story, but YOUR story? What would you tell?

Thursday, May 1, 2014

I'm offering my free Christian romantic short story "Love On Hold" to anyone who signs up for my e-newsletter.

My news will always be simple, fun and book-related. No spam. Promise! I detest the stuff myself.So here's how to get the short story: Put your information in the fields below. Check your email for the confirmation message, click the link to confirm. Next, you'll receive a welcome email. In that email, click the button that says, "Get Short Story Here."

**IF YOU DON'T receive a confirmation email, leave your email address in the comments and I'll be happy to add you to the newsletter list manually. :)

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Natalie Monk writes award-winning and ECPA bestselling historical romance. She is currently brainstorming her sixth writing project. She is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers and is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency.
A country girl from the time she could shimmy under a string of barbed wire, Natalie makes her home in North Mississippi. She proudly wears the label “preacher’s kid,” is a homeschool graduate, a nonpracticing certified wedding planner, and a former fence post digger. She loves sweet tea, girl talk (usually about books), porch swings, and watching old movies with her family. Her goal in writing, and in living, is to bring glory to her Savior, Jesus Christ.